After making a stunning return to action three weeks after a foot fracture, Caleb Foster will hope to lead the Duke Blue Devils to the Final Four of the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament on Sunday. We have the latest on the star guard’s status ahead of Duke’s regional final against the UConn Huskies.
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Few would have expected Foster to play again this year when he fractured his foot against the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 7. But he made a spectacular comeback during Duke’s March Madness Sweet 16 matchup against the St. John’s Red Storm.
Foster played 19 minutes off the bench and played a key role in Duke’s come-from-behind win, scoring 11 points and shooting 62.5% from the field. His return left both college basketball fans and head coach Jon Scheyer stunned.
“Still a little stunned with what happened, to be honest with you guys. He had no business playing tonight. Ninety-nine percent of guys do not come back to play under the circumstances of what’s happened to him. It was incredible the way he willed us,” Scheyer said after the game against St. John’s (via ESPN).
Foster’s status for the game against the Huskies has now been confirmed. Reports say he will feature against UConn but will come off the bench again.
The same can be said for Patrick Ngongba II, who is also expected to suit up today. This means that the center is back to or close to 100% fitness and will likely be in the rotation for Duke on Sunday after being under a minute restriction for the last two games.
Ngongba played 5 minutes against St. John’s and 13 minutes against the TCU Horned Frogs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils will remain without Sebastian Wilkins and Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, who are sidelined for the rest of the season.
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Both Foster and Ngongba’s appearances will be crucial to Duke’s hopes of making the Final Four for the second time in two years. The junior guard is averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game this season.
Meanwhile, the UConn Huskies have no players on the injury report and will be relying on Tarris Reed Jr. to lead the way.
